Overview
- The 1995 IBF title fight in Stuttgart drew 18.5 million German TV viewers and descended into disorder after a disputed decision, with bottles and glasses hurled toward the ring and injuries reported.
- Days after the bout, Francois Botha tested positive for nandrolone, the IBF stripped his title, and the result was retroactively ruled a No Contest, a status unchanged in the latest reports.
- Cornerman Hagen “Hako” Sevecke says he saw Botha emerge before the fight with a syringe in place, an anecdote reported in new retrospectives but not part of the official testing record.
- Technical director Jean Marcel Nartz recalls Don King’s locker-room celebration and says police were stationed at King’s hotel suite after he received a murder threat.
- Promoter Wilfried Sauerland says he sued in New Jersey and hired investigators in South Africa to review prescriptions, and Schulz recounts that Botha later apologized and handed him the belt.